Question

Passage:
In the mid-nineteenth century, the expansion of global telegraphy faced a severe material bottleneck: existing subterranean and submarine cables degraded rapidly when exposed to moisture and soil acids. The discovery of gutta-percha—a natural latex derived from the sap of Palaquium trees native to Southeast Asia—revolutionized electrical insulation. Chemical analysis conducted in the 1840s by Werner von Siemens demonstrated that gutta-percha possessed extraordinary dielectric properties and impermeability to water, rendering it vastly superior to resin-impregnated hemp and india-rubber for submerged applications. Consequently, the Submarine Telegraph Company adopted gutta-percha for the 1851 Dover-to-Calais cable line. However, the initial enthusiastic adoption obscured significant environmental and structural vulnerabilities. When subjected to direct sunlight or ambient temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, unvulcanized gutta-percha underwent rapid oxidative degradation, becoming brittle and prone to micro-cracking. Furthermore, despite its moisture resistance, the material offered minimal mechanical defense against marine borers such as Teredo navalis. To mitigate these structural failures without compromising the polymer's inductive capacity, engineers in the 1860s developed composite armoring techniques, wrapping gutta-percha-insulated conductors in spiraled galvanized iron wires coated with tarred hemp. This innovation extended cable operational lifespans from months to decades, establishing gutta-percha as the indispensable insulation standard until synthetic polyethylene emerged in the twentieth century.

According to the passage, Werner von Siemens's chemical analysis in the 1840s indicated that gutta-percha was superior to alternative insulating materials because of its